Systems and methods for effecting personal payment transactions

ABSTRACT

Systems, processes, and computer programs are disclosed for facilitating personal payment transactions. In certain embodiments, disclosed embodiments may provide an interface dialog engine for providing a dynamic and customized interface for effecting the personal payment transaction and a funding source engine for providing options to fund the payment. The disclosed embodiments may also provide a payee identity engine for identifying the intended payee receiving the payment and a routing option engine for providing options to route the payment. The embodiments may also provide a messaging engine for providing channels for related parties to the personal payment transaction to communicate.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This disclosure claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.provisional patent application No. 61/738,104, filed on Dec. 17, 2012,and entitled “Systems and Methods for Effecting Personal PaymentTransactions,” which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to personal payment systems,and more particularly, to systems, processes, and computer programs forfacilitating users to effect personal payment transactions.

Electronic personal payment transactions, such as person-to-personpayment and person-to-business payment, represent a rapidly growingindustry. Current personal payment systems, however, are ofteninflexible and inconvenient. There is no payment gateway where moneymovement may be completed through a singular portal irrespective ofpayment medium. For example, a payee may have to create an account witha financial service provider in order to collect the payment deliveredby that financial service provider. Another example of the inflexibilityof existing personal payment systems is the lack of customization withrespect to sending and receiving payment. For example, current systemsdo not provide mechanisms to aid and facilitate decisions surroundingthe potential routing of payments for both generic and specific types ofpayments.

Lack of flexible and distinct payment channels may cause the user toresearch different payment platforms. This may also require the user tolook up information, and make complex multiple parameter evaluationswith regards to overall functionality of a given transaction. Moreover,the payer is offered no flexibility or optionality with regards to thesourcing of the funds. In addition, the payee is usually not offeredoptions as to how the payment should be received, and consequently, thepayee has no influence over the cost, the speed, and the stability ofthe payment route.

Furthermore, existing personal payment systems may cause usersinconvenience due to the lack of mechanisms that could minimize theefforts of the payer to initiate or complete a payment transaction.Examples of these inconveniences may include, for example, the payer mayhave to spend a considerable amount of time to set up an account toeffect a transaction; the payer may have to manually look up the payee'sinformation, for example, the payee's bank account number, in order toset up and complete a transaction; the payer and the payee may notfreely choose a payment rail; and the payee may not be able to withdrawthe payment immediately if the payee receives a check that depositedinto his bank account.

Moreover, existing personal payment systems are built around the systemprovider needs rather than the needs or desires of their users. Currentsystems thus focus on merely effecting the payment itself, with limitedadditional interaction with the users. Current systems also providelimited mechanisms for a payee to initiate a payment transaction.

Furthermore, existing personal payment systems have limitedfunctionality to facilitate group or crowd payments/collections.Existing personal payment systems also lack mechanisms that, forexample, to provide feedback to users with respect to the status ofpayments or how they were received.

Thus, existing personal payment systems are limited, inflexible,inconvenient, and not personalized.

SUMMARY

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate various embodiments and aspectsof the disclosed embodiments, and together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments.

Disclosed embodiments include systems, methods and computer programs forenabling a user to easily and accurately complete personal paymenttransactions using a variety of payment options. Disclosed embodimentsalso include mechanisms for generating a dynamic and customizedinterface for a payer to effect a personal payment transaction, receivesome identifying information about a payee from the payer via thecustomized user interaction, provide suggested recipients to the payerfor identifying the payee based on the identifying information receivedfrom the payer, provide funding options associated with the personalpayment transaction to the payer, provide routing options to the payerand/or the payee for routing the payment associated with the personalpayment transaction, and provide channels for the payer and the payee tocommunicate.

Consistent with some disclosed embodiments, tangible computer-readablestorage media may store program instructions that are executable by oneor more processors to implement any of the processes disclosed herein.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is diagram of an exemplary system that may be used to implementdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of some exemplary engines for implementing certainaspects of disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary back-end process flow for effecting a paymenttransaction consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of some parties that may initiate apersonal payment request consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary process for sending a payment consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary process for receiving a payment consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7A is an example group payment scenario consistent with disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 7B is an exemplary group payment scenario consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 8A is an exemplary third party payment scenario consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 8B is an exemplary third party payment scenario consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the following detailed description isexemplary and explanatory only and is not restrictive of disclosedembodiments. For example, steps or processes disclosed herein are notlimited to being performed in the order described, but may be performedin any order, and that some steps may be omitted, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and disclosedherein. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers may be used inthe drawings and the following description to refer to the same orsimilar parts. Also, similarly named elements may perform similarfunctions and may be similarly designed. Numerous details are set forthto provide an understanding of the embodiments described herein. In somecases, the embodiments may be practiced without these details. In otherinstances, well-known techniques and/or components may not be describedin detail to avoid obscuring described embodiments. While severalexemplary embodiments and features are described herein, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations may be possible, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead,the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system configured to execute one or moresoftware processes that, when executed, provide one or more aspects ofthe disclosed embodiments. The components and arrangement shown in FIG.1 are not intended to be limiting to the disclosed embodiment as thecomponents used to implement the processes and features disclosed heremay vary.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, system 100 may includefinancial service provider 110, Personal Payment Genie 102, network 112,one or more clients 114, one or more merchants 116, and one or morefinancial institutions 118. System 100 may include other components toprovide, collect, process, and transmit information consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

Personal Payment Genie (“PPG”) 102 may be a computer-based systemincluding computer system components, such as one or more servers,desktop computers, workstations, tablets, hand held computing devices,memory devices, and/or internal network(s) connecting the components. Insome embodiments, PPG 102 may be a server that includes one or moreprocessor(s) 104, memory devices, such as memory 108, and interfacecomponents 106. PPG 102 may be a single server or may be configured as adistributed computer system including multiple servers or computers thatinteroperate to perform one or more of the processes and functionalitiesassociated with the disclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, PPG102 may be a server that is associated with financial service provider110. Financial service provider 110 may represent, for example, a bank,a merchant, a credit card provider, or any other entity that providesfinancial services to customers. In one aspect, financial serviceprovider 110 may be an institution or an individual that collects andprocesses personal payment for certain transactions, and transfers thepersonal payment to one or more intended payees.

Processor(s) 104 may be one or more known processing devices, such as amicroprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™ or theTurion™ family manufactured by AMD™. Processor(s) 104 may include asingle core or multiple core processor system that provides the abilityto perform parallel processes simultaneously. For example, processor(s)104 may be a single core processor that is configured with virtualprocessing technologies known to those skilled in the art. In certainembodiments, processor(s) 104 may use logical processors tosimultaneously execute and control multiple processes. Processor(s) 104may implement virtual machine technologies, or other similar knowntechnologies to provide the ability to execute, control, run,manipulate, store, etc. multiple software processes, applications,programs, etc. In another embodiment, processor(s) 104 may include amultiple-core processor arrangement (e.g., dual or quad core) that isconfigured to provide parallel processing functionalities to allow PPG102 to execute multiple processes simultaneously. One of ordinary skillin the art would understand that other types of processor arrangementscould be implemented that provide for the capabilities disclosed herein.

PPG 102 may also include one or more storage devices configured to storeinstructions used by processor(s) 104 (or other components) to performcertain functions related to the disclosed embodiments. In one example,PPG 102 may include memory 108 that includes instructions to enableprocessor(s) 104 to execute one or more applications, such as serverapplications, network communication processes, or any other type ofapplication or software available on computer systems. Alternatively,the instructions, application programs, etc. may be stored in anexternal storage or available from a memory over a network. The one ormore storage devices may be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic,semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type ofstorage device or tangible computer-readable medium. PPG 102 may be PPG202, depicted in FIG. 2 and discussed below.

Methods, systems, and computer programs consistent with the disclosedembodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configuredto perform dedicated tasks. For example, PPG 102 may include a memorythat may include one or more programs to perform one or more functionsfor multiple user display control. Moreover, processor(s) 104 mayexecute one or more programs located remotely from system 100. Forexample, system 100 may access one or more remote programs, that, whenexecuted, perform functions related to disclosed embodiments. Memory 108may include one or more memory devices that store data and instructionsused to perform one or more features of the disclosed embodiments.Memory 108 may also include any combination of one or more databasescontrolled by memory controller devices (e.g., server(s), etc.) orsoftware, such as document management systems, Microsoft SQL databases,SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or otherrelational databases.

PPG 102 may also be communicatively connected to one or more memorydevices (e.g., databases (not shown)) locally or through a network. Theremote memory devices may be configured to store information and may beaccessed and/or managed by PPG 102. By way of example, the remote memorydevices may be document management systems, Microsoft SQL database.SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or otherrelational databases. Systems, processes, computer programs, andtangible computer-readable medium of disclosed embodiments, however, arenot limited to separate databases or even to the use of a database.

PPG 102 may also include one or more I/O devices that may comprise oneor more interfaces for receiving signals or input from input devices andproviding signals or output to one or more output devices that allowdata to be received and/or transmitted by PPG 102. For example, PPG 102may include interface components 106 that may provide interfaces to oneor more input devices, such as one or more keyboards, mouse devices, andthe like, that enable PPG to receive data from one or more users such asclient(s) 114. Furthermore, interface components 106 may includecomponents configured to send and receive information between componentsof PPG 102 or external to PPG 102, such as network 112.

Network 112 may be any type of network that provides communications,exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchange of informationbetween PPG 102 and client(s) 114. In one embodiment, network 112 may bethe Internet, a Local Area Network, or other suitable connection(s) thatenables system 100 to send and receive information between thecomponents of system 100.

Client(s) 114 may be one or more computer systems. For example,client(s) 114 may include a general purpose or notebook computer, amobile device with computing ability, a server, a desktop computer,tablet, or any combination of these computers and/or affiliatedcomponents. For example, client(s) 114 may be a smartphone, consistentwith the disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, each client may bea computer system or device that is operated by a user who is a customeror a potential customer of financial service provider 110. Client(s) 114may be configured with storage that stores one or more operating systemsthat perform known operating system functions when executed by one ormore processors. By way of example, the operating systems may includeMicrosoft Windows™, Unix™, Linux™ Apple™ Computers type operatingsystems, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) type operating systems, suchas Microsoft CE™, or other types of operating systems. Accordingly,embodiments of the disclosed invention will operate and function withcomputer systems running any type of operating system. Client(s) 114 mayalso include communication software that, when executed by a processor,provides communications with network 112, such as Web browser software,tablet or smart hand held device networking software, etc.

Merchant(s) 116 may include systems operated by, for example, onlineretailers, brick-and-mortar retailers, or the like. Merchant(s) 116 maybe communicatively connected to other devices of system 100 through, forexample, network 112 or direct connection. Merchant(s) 116 may receiveand send payments consistent with disclosed embodiments.

Financial Institution(s) 118 (“FI”) may include systems operated by, forexample, financial institutions other than financial service provider110 (i.e. those not affiliated with or part of the institution operatingfinancial service provider 110). FI 118 may be communicatively connectedto other devices of system 100 via, for example, network 112 or directconnection. For example, FI 118 may be operated by a bank, a creditunion, a banking cooperative, or the like. FI 118 may receive and sendpayments consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a number of engines that may be, in some embodiments,used to implement disclosed embodiments. The disclosed “engines” (alsoknown as “modules”) may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware,a mix of any of those, or the like. Processor 204, Interface Components206, and Memory 208 may be utilized to perform processes to implementand facilitate the operation of the illustrated engines in FIG. 2. Theseengines may include software, hardware, or firmware instructions (or acombination thereof) executable by one or more processors, such asprocessor(s) 204, alone or in various combinations with other enginesdisclosed in this or other embodiments.

To provide a natural and intuitive interaction to effect the paymenttransaction, in some embodiments, interface dialog engine 211 may beconfigured to dynamically determine an appropriate user interface for aparticular user of PPG 202. In some aspects, interface dialog engine 211may determine the appropriate interaction mechanisms that PPG 202 mayutilize while interacting with this particular user, based on the user'spreference or available user profiles. For example, based on a user'sinformation including, for example, transaction history, profile,demographic information, behavior, user's input provided to interfacedialog engine 211 for setting up the interface, or information fromsocial networking sites, etc., interface dialog engine 211 may customizea personalized user interface that this user is most likely receptive to(e.g. if a user likes to do everything by sending a message onFacebook®, some aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be performedvia messaging using Facebook®). In another example, if a user istechnologically experienced, interface dialog engine 211 may determinewhether the user interface for this user will have a different look andfeel than a user interface for another user who is less technologicallyexperienced. In some embodiments, if a user is determined to betechnically experienced, interface dialog engine 211 may be configuredto provide more products and functions associated with the paymenttransaction; whereas for a user who is determined to be less technicallyexperienced, interface dialog engine 211 may be configured to providebasic and less complex processes associated with the paymenttransaction. In other embodiments, if a user is young and/or a regularuser of PPG 202, interface dialog engine 211 may be configured toprovide a playful and colorful user interaction; whereas for a user whouses PPG 202 less frequently, interface dialog engine 211 may beconfigured to provide a user interaction having more user instructionsand functional layout. Interface dialog engine 211 may also beconfigured to present different visual content (e.g., pictures, colors,and the like) to different users.

Additionally or alternatively, interface dialog engine 211 may beconfigured to provide mechanisms that allow the user to interact withPPG 202 via a voice-controlled input. For example, if a particular userprefers to input data via voice instead of typing, interface dialogengine 211 may be configured to collect data required for a giventransaction via the voice-controlled input. In some aspects, if thevoice-controlled input is initiated, interface dialog engine 211 mayfurther be configured to provide mechanisms to test whether PPG 202could accurately recognize and understand this user's voice. In otheraspects, interface dialog engine 211 may request the user to confirm theinformation collected via the voice-controlled input to ensure accuracy.

To minimize the payer's efforts of providing information relating to thepayment transaction, based on the payer's input of one or more piecesinformation about his/her intended payee (e.g., the payee's name), payeeidentity engine 213 may be configured to provide one or more suggestedrecipients that could potentially be the payee of the paymenttransaction. Information about the payee may be provided in the form ofvoice, typing, token, shortlisted entry, or the like. In someembodiments, payee identity engine 213 may be configured to provide thesuggested recipients of the payment by using phone contacts, electronicmail contact lists, social networking sites, website user accounts,Whitepages™, checking account profile information, or any other sources.

To better assist the payer to identify the payee and ensure accuracy, insome embodiments, payee identity engine 213 may be configured toestimate a level of confidence with respect to the identity of theintended payee, and provide an ordered list of the suggested recipientsbased on the level of confidence. For example, once the payer providesthe name and/or other information about the intended payee, payeeidentity engine 213 may be configured to determine the confidence levelfor each of the suggested recipients, where the confidence levelindicates the perceived likelihood that the suggested recipient(s) isthe person that the payer intends to send the payment. The confidencelevel may increase if multiple independent data sources are utilized tosuggest recipients of the payment. In some embodiments, payee identityengine 213 may be configured to consider one or more of the followingfactors to estimate the level of confidence: payment and/or other userhistory; the quality of the data source; probability of coincidence; theform of payment; the proximity between the payer and the intendedpayee(s); physical presence of the payer and/or the intended payee(s);and any other factors.

To ensure accuracy, payee identity engine 213 may be configured toprovide mechanisms for the payer to confirm the identity of the payee.In some aspects, payee identity engine 213 may be configured to providesensory confirmation, such as vibrating or sound, to reflect the degreeof confidence of the candidate payee(s). In other aspects, payeeidentity engine 213 may also be configured to interact with interfacedesign engine (not shown) to display, via the customized user interfacefor the payer, additional information about the suggested recipients(e.g., photos, addresses, phone numbers, ages), the confidence level,and data sources used to suggest recipients.

To provide a flexible way to fund the payer's payment, PPG 202 mayexecute instructions to provide the payer with one or more fundingoptions associated with the payment transaction. In some embodiments,funding source engine 215 may be configured to determine availablefunding sources to fund the payment. The available funding source may beinternal or external to financial service provider 110. For example, insome embodiments, a payer wishing to transfer money to another personmay not need to have an existing account (or open a new account) withfinancial service provider 110 in order to fund his/her payment. Inother embodiments, funding source engine 215 may be configured toconsider multiple factors to determine which funding source(s) is thepayer's preference, and accordingly suggest this routing option(s) tothe payer. For example, to determine the payer's preferred fundingsources, funding source engine 215 may consider factors including, forinstance, account transaction history, time, costs, linkedaccounts/sources, available balance, available credit, pendingtransactions (both credit and debit), etc. In some embodiments, aplurality of funding sources may be employed to fund one paymenttransaction.

To add more flexibility to sending and receiving payments, PPG 202 maybe configured to execute instructions to provide mechanisms for thepayer and/or the payee to choose one or more routing options to “rail”the payment. In some embodiments, routing option engine 217 may beconfigured to suggest routing options to the payee (same or similarmechanisms may also be provided to the payer consistent with thedisclosed embodiments). In some aspects, routing option engine 217 mayconsider the following data to make routing suggestions: type ofpayment; available information of the payee; locale of the payee;feedback and/or ranking of routes used in the past; historical behavior,such as, for example, route chosen in the past; and other data.

In some embodiments, routing option engine 217 may be configured todetermine which payment rail or rails represent the best fit for thepayment, and suggest this payment rail(s) to the payee accordingly. Insome embodiments, routing option engine 217 may be configured to rankthe suggested payment rails by multiple parameters including, forinstance, history, safety, speed, cost, stability, and the like.Additionally or alternatively, the payee may enter his/her preferredrouting option for receiving the incoming payment if his/her preferredrouting option is not included in the suggested options. The payee'schoice of the routing option may be fed back to routing option engine217 for making future suggestions. In some aspects, the payee may chooseone or more routing options to receive the incoming payment. In otheraspects, routing option engine 217 may be configured to prevent thepayee from receiving funds twice via different payment rails.

For certain routing rails provided or chosen by the payer and/or thepayee, the payment may not be delivered immediately. Thus, in someembodiments, credit decision engine 219 may be configured to speed upthe availability of funds for receiving the payment. For example, if apayment rail provided or chosen by the payee involves a wait time orclearing period, credit decision engine 219 may be configured todetermine the payee's willingness to accept additional cost of expeditedpayment rails, for example, making the payment via wire transfers.Credit decision engine 219 may also be configured to determine thepayee's eligibility for credit advance in order to speed up theavailability of funds. Once credit decision engine 219 determines thatthe payee is willing and eligible for credit advance, it may beconfigured to provide mechanisms that allow the payee to apply forcredit advance.

Once the payee receives the payment, PPG 202 may execute instructions toprovide the payee with some allocation options to redirect the receivedpayment and guide the payee to complete the allocation. Examples ofallocation options may include, for example, putting payment towardsphone bill, buying a pastry at a nearby bakery, buying candy bars forsome children in the same store as the payee, buying items that are onthe payee's wish list at online stores, etc. In some embodiments, PPG202 may execute instructions to perform functions relating todetermining these suggested allocation options based on informationobtained from, for example, the payee's profile, transaction history,social networking sites, and the like. In other embodiments, thesuggested allocation options may be determined based on the payee'slocation, which may be, for example, a restaurant, a bar, and a store.

To provide a more natural, intuitive, interactive, and flexible paymentsystem, and add more fun to the payment transaction, PPG 202 may executeinstructions to perform messaging functions at some or all steps of thepayment transaction. In some embodiments, messaging engine 221 may beconfigured to select an appropriate channel of communication for thepayer and the payee (or some other parties associated with the paymenttransaction). Channels of communication may include, for example, textmessaging, email, social networking sites, or the like. In someembodiments, messaging engine 221 may be configured to take into accountthe payee's preferences in determining which channels of communicationto provide. For example, if messaging engine 221 determines that thetext message is the most effective or preferred way of communication forthe payee, whereas the payer prefers to use emails, messaging engine 221may translate text messages into email message for the payer, and viceversa. Messaging engine 221 may determine the most effective orpreferred way of communication based on factors including, for example,information taken from email accounts, customer history, cell phone,social networking sites, and the like.

In some embodiments, messaging engine 221 may be configured to determinethe content of messages displayed to related parties associated with thepayment transaction (e.g. the payer, the payee, and other thirdparties). In some aspects, messaging engine 221 may be configured tocollect, obtain, request, and consider information such as, for example,the type of payment, the occasion of the payment, the payment triggeringparty, static input (e.g., the user's input provided to interface dialogengine 211 for setting up the interface, or pre-filled informationprovided by PPG 202 via interface dialog engine 211 accepted by theuser, or rules and regulations relating to the restrictions for sendingcommercial messages), and behavioral inputs (e.g., historical use orreceptiveness to certain messages), and the like, to determine thecontent of messages. In other aspects, messaging engine 221 may alsoconsider the occasion of payment in determining the content of themessage to be displayed to the related parties.

Additionally or alternatively, PPG 202 may execute instructions toperform functions related to providing promotion offers to the user(some aspects are discussed in more detail at step 630). To ensure theappropriateness of these commercial messages, messaging engine 221 maybe configured to determine whether the commercial messages are desirablefor a particular user or whether the particular user is likely to beresponsive to the commercial messages. In some embodiments, messagingengine 221 may be configured to determine whether a user will bereceptive to a particular offer by considering the user's inputsprovided to interface dialog engine 211 (e.g., the user's preference forcertain types of commercial messages), historic payment behavior (e.g.,shopped at or ordered products from a particular retailer), informationrelating to membership and/or loyalty program (e.g., has a bonusmembership with a retailer), activities on social networking sites(e.g., regularly checked-in on Facebook® at a certain retail location),etc.

To keep parties associated with the payment transaction updated withrespect to the progress of the payment transaction, PPG 202 may executeinstructions to provide mechanisms that allow the parties to be informedof the progress of the payment transaction. For example, payment statusengine 223 may be configured to interact with various parties in thepayment chain to determine the stage of completion of the paymenttransaction. In some embodiments, the payment status may be presented tothe user in the form of, for example, a progress bar, text, graphics,etc. In some aspects, payment status engine 223 may provide detailedfeedback with respect to the status of the payment to the parties. Forexample, payment status engine 223 may be configured to send aconfirmation message when the payment is completed. In other aspects,information relating to payment status may be used for fraud control andoverall stability of the payment option offered.

PPG 202 may execute instructions to perform other functions consistentwith the disclosed embodiments. Examples of these functions may includeproviding a simulation environment. For instance, PPG 202 may provide asimulation environment for the user without actually requiring them toengage in a real transaction. The simulation environment may providemost of the described functions consistent with the disclosedembodiments. Another example may include providing gamificationprocesses. For instance, PPG 202 may determine and generate incentives(both virtual and/or real) for rewarding the user for performing certainpersonal payment related activities, such as, for example, opening a newaccount. The incentives may include earning status such as, for example,a gold/silver/bronze or superstar/starlet/standing rating associatedwith an account. Real and virtual rewards may also be given for sharingthe personal payment experience on social networking sites andrecommending it to other entities or users (e.g., friends, businesspartners, etc.). Based on information such as, for example, userprofiles and prior transaction behavior, this function may includedetermining whether to grant incentives and the level of incentives tobe granted.

Another example is providing minimum data input process. For instance,PPG 202 may minimize the data the user has to provide. In some aspects,depending on payment rails and/or routing options chosen by the user,the process may narrow the data request to only the data necessary forthe transaction. In other aspects, by integrating with the user'scontact, social networking sites, and the user's phone book, the usermay only be required to enter into the amount of payment and one or moreof the intended payee's phone number, email address, or name to effect apayment. Additional or alternatively, by integrating historic paymentbehavior of both the payer and the payee, part of the information may befilled in automatically.

The disclosed embodiments may also provide constraint features. Forexample, PPG 202 may provide mechanisms that allow the user to sether/his preference with respect to constraints to making payments. Forexample, the user may choose to prevent payments from being made after acertain time (e.g. 3 a.m.) or to prevent making payments to certainpayees (e.g. bars). This function may also provide some pre-setlimitations or suggested limitations based on multiple inputs, such as,for example, the type of the payment, the location, the time zone of theuser, and the like.

In another embodiment, PPG 202 may provide crowd sourcing and socialsharing processes. For example, PPG 202 may provide mechanisms thatallow the user to share her/his experience relating to making personalpayment using disclosed embodiments with other individuals or entitiesvia social networking sites or other broadcast medium.

As another example, PPG 202 may provide aggregation of feedbackprocesses. For instance, PPG 202 may provide mechanisms that allow theuser to rate, for example, his experience relating to making personalpayments, using payment rails, particular routing options, or otherfunctions consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

In another embodiment, PPG 202 may provide recurring payment processes.For example, PPG 202 may provide mechanisms that allow users to makerecurring payments. This function may be performed to determine whetherthe payment is a one-time payment or a recurring payment. Recurringpayment may either be a fixed recurring amount (for example, payingrent) or a flexible recurring amount (for example, paying utilitiesbills), or any other amount (e.g., a fluctuating amount).

FIG. 3 illustrates a general overview of an exemplary back end processflow of PPG 202 that may be performed by the disclosed embodiments. Atphase 310, PPG 202 may execute instructions to provide mechanisms thatallow a payer, or a payee, or PPG 202 to initiate a payment transaction(some aspects are discussed in greater detail at FIG. 4). At phase 320,PPG 202 may execute instructions to provide mechanisms that facilitatethe payer to send the payment (some aspects are discussed in greaterdetail at FIG. 5). At phase 330, PPG 202 may execute instructions toprovide mechanisms that facilitate the payee to receive the payment(some aspects are discussed in greater detail at FIG. 6). At phase 340,PPG 202 may execute instructions to provide mechanisms that assist thepayee to redirect the received payment.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 according to some embodiments, PPG 202 may beconfigured to provide mechanisms that allow various parties to initiatea payment request.

In some embodiments, a payer may initiate a payment request. The payermay initiate the payment request from the website of financial serviceprovider 110. Alternatively, the payer may initiate the payment requestby using an application of PPG 202 downloaded into his/her computingdevice, preferably, a smartphone or a tablet.

In some embodiments, the payee may initiate the payment request. Forexample, the payee may request the payment by providing information suchas, for example, the payer's name, date of request, payment amount, andreason for requesting this payment. The payee may initiate the paymentrequest from the website of financial service provider 110.Alternatively, the payee may initiate the payment request by using theapplication of PPG 202 downloaded into his/her computing device,preferably, a smartphone or a tablet. To process the payment transactioninitiated by the payee, PPG 202 may execute instructions to perform someaspects of the functions consistent with the disclosed embodiments forprocessing the payment transactions initiated by the payer. For example,payee identity engine 213 may be configured to suggest intended payersto the payee based on the payer's name provided by the payee. Routingoption engine 217 may be configured to allow the payee to choose apayment rail that the payer is likely to accept. Moreover, messagingengine 221 may be configured to provide mechanisms that allow the payeeto initiate parallel messages with the payer and exchange documents withthe payer.

In some embodiments, PPG 202 may execute instructions to trigger apayment. For example, PPG 202 may be configured to send a reminder or asuggestion for a new payment to a payer. In some aspects, theseengines/modules may be configured to obtain information from, forexample, calendars, payment history, and social networking sites, or thelike to identify relevant events that might warrant a payment, anddetermine whether to send reminders or suggestions. For example, theseengines/modules may determine through a social networking site (e.g.Facebook®) that a relative of the payer has an approaching birthday, andbased on this determination, a suggestion may be given to the payer tosend a gift card or other type of payment to the relative as a birthdaygift.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 according to some embodiments, PPG 202 may beconfigured to execute instructions to facilitate the payer to send thepayment. To facilitate the payer to send the payment in a flexible andconvenient way, PPG 202 may be configured to perform functionsincluding, for example, identifying the intended payee by requestingminimum input from the payer (step 510), suggesting payment type (step520), suggesting funding source to fund the payment (step 530),suggesting routing source to rail the payment (step 540), and providingmechanism that allow the payer to distribute cost associated withcertain routing options (step 550).

At step 510, based on some input from the payer with respect to his/herintended payee (e.g. payee's name), payee identity engine 213 (someaspects of its functions were discussed in greater detail above) may beconfigured to provide some suggested recipients that could potentiallybe the payee, together with further information for the payer toidentity the payee (e.g. suggested recipients' addresses and/or phonenumbers and/or ages, level of confidence, data sources used). The payerthus may identity his/her intended payee based on this information.Additionally or alternatively, the payer may also provide feedback toPPG 202 if the intended payee is not included in the suggestedrecipients.

At step 520, PPG 202 may execute instructions to allow the payer toselect a payment type. In some embodiment, if the payer initiallychooses to send the payment by cash and enters into the amount of moneyhe/she wants to transfer, PPG 202 may be configured to providealternative payment types (e.g. sending a gift card instead of money).In some embodiments, based on the information about the intended payeeand the payment type, PPG 202 may be configured to determine whether thepayment is for a particular purpose, such as, the intended payee'sbirthday. If the particular purpose is confirmed, PPG 202 may beconfigured to execute instructions to perform functions consistent withthe disclosed embodiments such as, for example, suggesting alternativepayment type (e.g. purchase of an item appearing on the “wish list” ofan online account associated with the payee), allowing the payer to senda birthday card or upload a picture or a video together with thepayment.

At step 530, PPG 202 may be configured to perform functions that enablethe payer to choose a funding source to fund his/her payment. In someembodiments, funding source engine 215 (some aspects were discussed ingreater detail above) may be configured to determine available fundingsources to make the payment, which may be internal and/or external tofinancial service provider 110. In other embodiments, funding sourceengine 215 may be configured to estimate preferred source(s) of fundsand determine which one(s) to suggest to the payer.

At step 540, PPG 202 may also be configured to provide mechanisms thatallow the payer to select a rail to route his/her payment. In someembodiments, routing option engine 217 of PPG 202 (some aspects werediscussed in greater detail above) may be configured to suggest routingoptions by considering factors including, for example, type of payment,available information of an intended payee, location of the payee,transaction history, the payer or the intended payee's preferred routingoptions, etc. In some embodiments, routing option engine 217 may beconfigured to rank the suggested routing options by multiple parameterssuch as, for example, safety, speed, cost, stability, history (e.g.,customer experience), and etc. Additionally or alternatively, PPG 202may be configured to provide mechanisms that allow the payer and thepayee to communicate with each other during the process of making thepayment, and thus, the payer may learn of the payee's preferred routingoption(s) via communication with the payee and may accordingly choosethe routing option for the payment.

In some embodiments, certain routing options may involve some cost, andin these situations, PPG 202 may be configured to suggest routingoptions based on such considerations as well. And, once a particularrouting option involving cost is selected, PPG 202 may be configured todetermine how to distribute the cost associated with the routing optionat step 550. In some aspects, the payer may choose a way to distributethe cost. For example, the payer may bear the cost on his/her own, sharethe cost with the payee, or choose to have the payee to bear the cost.In other aspects, PPG 202 may be configured to provide mechanisms thatallow the payer to prohibit the use of certain routing option(s)involving cost.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 according to some embodiments, PPG 202 may beconfigured to execute instructions to process the receipt of thepayment. To assist the payee in receiving the payment in a flexible andtimely manner, PPG 202 may be configured to perform functions including,for example, sending a notice to the payee informing him/her of theincoming payment (step 610), providing the payee with the option toreject or accept the payment (step 620), suggesting routing options toreceive the payment (step 630), and providing the option of receivingthe payment immediately if the selected routing option has a wait timeto deliver the payment (step 640).

At step 610, PPG 202 may be configured to provide a notice to the payeeinforming him/her of the incoming payment consistent with someembodiments. In some embodiments, messaging engine 221 may be configuredto determine the appropriate medium or media to deliver the notificationto the payee (or a payer if the payee initiates the payment request).Based on the determination, PPG 202 may execute software that deliversthe notice to the payee and/or the payer via one or more mediaincluding, for example, text messages, email, or social networking sites(e.g., Facebook®, Twitter, etc.). If the payer or the payee is a user ofPPG 202, PPG 202 may execute software that delivers the notice directlyto client 114.

At step 620, PPG 202 may be configured to perform mechanisms that allowthe payee to either accept or reject the incoming payment according tosome embodiments. In some aspects, PPG 202 may be configured to providemechanisms that allow the payee to provide reasons for rejecting theincoming payment, which may include, for example, the payment amount isincorrect.

At step 630, once the payee accepts the payment, PPG 202 may beconfigured to provide the payee with routing options for receiving thepayment according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, routingoption engine 217 of PPG 202 (some aspects were discussed in greaterdetail above) may be configured to suggest routing options byconsidering factors including, for example, type of payment, availableinformation of an intended payee, location of the payee, transactionhistory, the payer or the intended payee's preferred routing options,and the like. In some embodiments, routing option engine 217 may ranksuggested options by multiple parameters such as, for example, safety,speed, cost, stability, history (e.g., customer experience), etc. Inother embodiments, routing option engine 217 may be configured todetermine which rails are best fits for the payee and which rails shouldbe offered to the payee.

Additionally or alternatively, to assist the payee to select the routingoption, PPG 202 may be configured to provide commercial messages to thepayee associated with one or more routing options. For example, if arouting option requires the payee to open a new bank account withfinancial service provide 110, the payee may receive some commercialmessage relating to the incentives to open a new bank account. Messagingengine 221 of PPG 202 (some aspects were discussed in greater detailabove) may be configured to determine what message to display to thepayee. The determination may be based on the occasion and the type ofthe payment, among other considerations.

Depending on the selected routing option, the payee may not receiveimmediate payment. For example, if the payer deposits some moneydirectly into the payee's bank account, the payee may not withdraw oruse the payment immediately. At step 640, credit decision engine 219 ofPPG 202 (some aspects were discussed above) may be configured todetermine whether the payee is willing and eligible for credit advance.And credit decision engine 219 may be configured to provide mechanismsthat allow the payee to apply credit advance once the determination ismade.

In some embodiments, PPG 202 may execute instructions to facilitate thepayee to redirect the received payment to another recipient. In thesesituations, the payee may act as the payer. For example, PPG 202 may beconfigured to determine available allocating options to redirect areceived payment of the payee (some aspects were discussed in greaterdetail above). In some embodiments, if the payee received a gift card,the payer may receive some commercial message relating to the incentive(e.g. receive a discount) to use the payment with certain vendors.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A according to some embodiments, PPG 202 may beconfigured to allow the user to make multiple-party paymenttransactions. In some aspects, the user may share his/her paymentrequest with the rest of the group. PPG 202 may be configured to processthe received payments and combine the funds into a single transaction tothe payee. In other aspects, PPG 202 may also be configured to performfunctions that enable the user to collect money from parties for variousother purposes. For example, the user may use PPG 202 to raise fund fora charity. In another example, PPG 202 may also perform functions thatenable the user to run an office pool to raise funds for variouspurposes. These embodiments may provide options to treat the payer(s) asan individual or as a group. Additionally or alternatively, as shown inFIG. 7B according to some embodiments, PPG 202 may be configured toprovide mechanisms that allow the user to make payment to multiplepayees.

As illustrated in FIG. 8A and 8B according to some embodiments, PPG 202may be configured to perform functions that allow the payer to make apayment on behalf of other parties. In some aspects, as illustrated inFIG. 8A, a payer may choose to make the payment for parties within acertain geographic vicinity of the payer. For example, the payer may buybeers for everyone within ten feet of the user at a bar. PPG 202determine the identity of individuals within a certain geographicvicinity based on various sources including, for example, GPS data orinformation from social networking websites. In other aspects, asillustrated in FIG. 8B, a payer may make a payment on behalf of a thirdparty indirectly by predetermining a payee. For example, if parents (thepayer) pay the rent on behalf of their child (third party), the childmay not have any options in terms of changing the payee, the amount, andthe like, but only have the option to approve the transaction.

Furthermore, although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are describedas being associated with data stored in memory and other tangiblecomputer-readable storage mediums, one skilled in the art willappreciate that these aspects can also be stored on and executed frommany types of tangible computer-readable media, such as secondarystorage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM, or otherforms of RAM or ROM. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the above-described examples, but instead are defined by theappended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A system for providing a personal paymenttransaction comprising: a processor; and a storage device storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system toperform operations comprising: notifying, by an electronic message, apayee of an incoming payment delivered from a payer through a mediainterface when the payee initiates a payment request; providing, by themedia interface, the payee an option to accept or reject the incomingpayment based on a rationale for accepting or rejecting the incomingpayment; selecting, based on acceptance of the incoming payment by thepayee, a routing option to receive payment according to a ranking of oneor more parameters, wherein a payment transaction status is representedby a graphical icon on the media interface, and wherein the paymenttransaction status is shared through at least one social media website;providing, based on the selected routing option, an advance option toreceive the payment immediately if the selected routing option has await time to deliver payment; determining, based on selection of theadvance option, whether the payee is eligible for a credit advance; andapplying, based on an eligible determination, the credit advance to thepayee, wherein the application of the credit advance is shared throughthe at least one social media website.
 22. The system of claim 21,wherein the storage device stores further instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the system to perform the operation of:providing, via the media interface, a status of the personal paymenttransaction.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the storage devicestores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, causethe system to perform the operation of: receiving via the mediainterface, input from the payer via voice commands.
 24. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the storage device stores further instructions that,when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform theoperation of: determining content of at least one message based on thetype of payment or the occasion of payment; and displaying, via themedia interface, the at least one electronic message from the payer tothe payee.
 25. The system of claim 21, wherein the storage device storesfurther instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause thesystem to perform the operation of: providing one or more incentives forperforming activities associated with the personal payment transaction.26. The system of claim 21, wherein the storage device stores furtherinstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system toperform the operation of: providing, via the media interface, one ormore options for the payer to set at least one limitation associatedwith the personal payment transaction.
 27. The system of claim 21,wherein the personal payment transaction involves a plurality of payersor a plurality of payees.
 28. A computer-implemented method forfacilitating a personal payment transaction, comprising: notifying, byan electronic message, a payee of an incoming payment delivered from apayer through a media interface when the payee initiates a paymentrequest; providing, by the media interface, the payee an option toaccept or reject the incoming payment based on a rationale for acceptingor rejecting the incoming payment; selecting, based on acceptance of theincoming payment by the payee, a routing option to receive paymentaccording to a ranking of one or more parameters, wherein a paymenttransaction status is represented by a graphical icon on the mediainterface, and wherein the payment transaction status is shared throughat least one social media website; providing, based on the selectedrouting option, an advance option to receive the payment immediately ifthe selected routing option has a wait time to deliver payment;determining, based on selection of the advance option, whether the payeeis eligible for a credit advance; and applying, based on an eligibledetermination, the credit advance to the payee, wherein the applicationof the credit advance is shared through the at least one social mediawebsite.
 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: providing, viathe media interface, a status of the personal payment transaction. 30.The method of claim 28, further comprising: receiving, via the mediainterface, input from the payer via voice commands.
 31. The method ofclaim 28, further comprising: determining content of at least onemessage based on the type of payment or the occasion of payment; anddisplaying, via the media interface, the at least one electronic messagefrom the payer to the payee.
 32. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising: providing one or more incentives for performing activitiesassociated with the personal payment transaction.
 33. The method ofclaim 28, further comprising: providing, via the media interface, one ormore options for the payer to set at least one limitation associatedwith the personal payment transaction.
 34. The method of claim 28,wherein the personal payment transaction involves a plurality of payersor a plurality of payees.
 35. A non-transitory computer readable mediumstoring instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to: notify, by an electronic message, a payee of an incomingpayment delivered from a payer through a media interface when the payeeinitiates a payment request; provide, by the media interface, the payeean option to accept or reject the incoming payment based on a rationalefor accepting or rejecting the incoming payment; select, based onacceptance of the incoming payment by the payee, a routing option toreceive payment according to a ranking of one or more parameters,wherein a payment transaction status is represented by a graphical iconon the media interface, and wherein the payment transaction status isshared through at least one social media website; provide, based on theselected routing option, an advance option to receive the paymentimmediately if the selected routing option has a wait time to deliverpayment; determine, based on selection of the advance option, whetherthe payee is eligible for a credit advance; and apply, based on aneligible determination, the credit advance to the payee, wherein theapplication of the credit advance is shared through the at least onesocial media website.
 36. The medium of claim 35, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to: provide, via the mediainterface, a status of the payment transaction.
 37. The medium of claim35, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: receive,via the media interface, input from the payer via voice commands. 38.The medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions further cause theprocessor to: determining content of at least one message based on thetype of payment or the occasion of payment; and displaying, via themedia interface, the at least one electronic message from the payer tothe payee.
 39. The medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions furthercause the processor to: provide one or more incentives for performingactivities associated with the personal payment transaction.
 40. Themedium of claim 35, wherein the instructions further cause the processorto: provide, via the media interface, one or more options for the payerto set at least one limitation associated with the personal paymenttransaction.